Category Archives: Thinking

Steven Pinker: Work Habits

Posted on Wednesday 12 March 2014 by Mark R. Kelly

When I remember a passage from something I read a day or two before, I think it’s worth capturing. From that Steven Pinker interview last week (originally at Mosaic), two paragraphs about work habits, and his book The Better Angels … Continue reading →

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Agnotology, Science Denialism, and Joan Slonczewski

Posted on Sunday 9 March 2014 by Mark R. Kelly

A column in the business section of the LA Times this morning, by Michael Hiltzik, Cultural production of ignorance provides rich field for study [curiously the print edition that I read this morning has the title “Sowing doubt about science”] … Continue reading →

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Anti-Vaxxers and Irrationality

Posted on Monday 3 March 2014 by Mark R. Kelly

Slate: According to a New Study, Nothing Can Change an Anti-Vaxxer’s Mind Apparently you just can’t change anti-vaxxers’ minds. This reaction, where people become more assured of their stupid opinions when confronted with factual or scientific evidence proving them wrong, … Continue reading →

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Wishful Thinking vs What We Know About How the World Works

Posted on Friday 21 February 2014 by Mark R. Kelly

Physicist Sean Carroll’s site is always interesting to dip into – he has a long list of posts from the past decade under his ‘Greatest Hits’ tab – and here is one from 2011 about Physics and the Immortality of … Continue reading →

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Conservative values

Posted on Thursday 13 February 2014 by Mark R. Kelly

It’s long been my impression that conservatives, especially of the extreme Tea Party variety, are motivated largely by fear – of the unknown, of the ‘other’ (people unlike themselves), of the implications of rational engagement with the real world. And … Continue reading →

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For Creationists, Intellectual Inquiry is a Sin

Posted on Monday 10 February 2014 by Mark R. Kelly

Slate’s Mark Joseph Stern comments about a new HBO documentary, Questioning Darwin: The Cruelty of Creationism. Intellectual freedom is one of humanity’s greatest gifts—and biggest burdens. Our ability to ask questions, to test ideas, to doubt is what separates us … Continue reading →

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Creationists and Curiosity

Posted on Monday 10 February 2014 by Mark R. Kelly

Terry Firma doesn’t think the creationists who held up questions about evolution (in that Buzzfeed set of photos last week) were really interested in the answers. Just (Not) Curious: When Creationists Ask Questions, Are They Interested In the Answers? It … Continue reading →

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Answers for Creationists

Posted on Thursday 6 February 2014 by Mark R. Kelly

Today both Phil Plait at Slate and Mike D on his blog respond to the Buzzfeed listsicle of 22 messages from Creationists who held up questions to those who ‘believe’ in evolution. (‘Believe’ is not the right word; as Plait … Continue reading →

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Comments about the Ken Ham/Bill Nye Debate

Posted on Wednesday 5 February 2014 by Mark R. Kelly

A selection of comments about the Ken Ham/Bill Nye debate (which I didn’t watch). I think this is a demonstration about how some people think, and others don’t — they ‘believe’. (This divide between thinking and being is in a … Continue reading →

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Are Some Folks Beyond Rational Thinking?

Posted on Friday 24 January 2014 by Mark R. Kelly

A classic post from Alternet that popped up in my Fb feed today for some reason — Human Stupidity Is Destroying the World. Do you believe in angels? Forty-five percent of Americans do. In fact, roughly 48 percent – Republicans … Continue reading →

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